During his tenure as Surgeon General, Koop was not political. He was not ideological. And he was not quiet (like many of his predecessors had been). He saw his position as a platform to speak to the public, and he used it, surprising both the right and the left along the way.

We are so focused on weight as an indicator of health that we ignore the fact that thinness is not equivalent to being physically fit nor is a higher-than-average weight necessarily an indicator of being “unhealthy.”

Where does future Surgeon General Dr. Sanjay Gupta stand on reproductive health? He has spoken out for emergency contraception, but reproductive health issues haven’t gotten a starring role on “House Call.”